Some number ep
Listen again & download to my latest Radio Therapy show which premieres on the third Tuesday of every month on friskyradio.com. Enjoy!
Tracklist as follows..
A link to my recent interview with those lovely people at Data Transmission on all things Selador & Kickstarter plus DJ spats & EDM…
So you’re funding your latest compilation via a Kickstarter model. Why have you chose to do this? Do you see this as the future of the art-form? I just felt the need to do something different. I’d been offered another Renaissance Masters CD but to be honest, I’ve done 27 mix compilations before, all in the traditional way. So when the Kickstarter idea was suggested, it just felt fresh. It’s was of my comfort zone and is a bit of a leap into the unknown but I truly believe this could be the route a lot of DJs take in the future. And someone has stick their neck out first.
You’ve been a part of the mix CD since it began so are better placed than most to preside over how viable they are. Are they still a relevant concept and how difficult is it for them to be part of what people want in the modern age of the internet?
Well for me, they are a bit more special than most of the disposable ten-a-penny live sets or podcasts you can find all over the internet. A lot more time and effort goes into crafting them. They should be collectors items. A tangible memento of a time and a place with an emotional attachment that’s impossible to get from a file on a hard drive. I think it’s one of the very sad consequences of the digital era that record, book, DVD & CD collections will be relegated to characterless files on hard drives. I think there’ll be a backlash against it. Men especially like to collect things. It’s in our genes. And virtual collections just aren’t the same.
You’ve also started up a record label as well, Selador records. Why did you decide to do this again now?
Ha! I’m a glutton for punishment obviously. No, I really love the process of finding new music and putting together a release with remixes and artwork. Much like the mix albums, it’s a labour of love. There’s no real money in it these days but it’s a way of connecting with other like minded artists and promoting the music I love and that I’m playing when I DJ. They’re all intrinsically linked. DJing, music production & running a label. They all feed each other.
What is the vision exactly for the label, and where do you see it heading; is there a long term goal for it? What makes it different from the labels you have been involved with in the past? And can you tell us more about the name?
The name is adapted from a section of the film Donnie Darko where they talk about the most beautiful sounding combination of syllables in the English language. The sweetest sounds if you like. And as for the vision, I’m actually doing this label together with my old friend Steve Parry so it’s very much a joint venture. We aim to showcase the spectrum of electronic music we both love. So it could range from downtempo wonky electronica through big deep house and funky techno. The only real overriding rule is that it will be all of an underground nature but other than that it really could be whatever takes our fancy.
Moving aside from these personal projects, how has your DJing year been so far?
It’s been a good start to the year actually. I had a few things in South America in January which is always a nice way to kick off the new year. Cordoba in Argentina was especially good playing in a disused old factory until the sun came up. Really memorable. I also did a crazy party in Finland with Danny Howells & Fatboy Slim which was held in a indoor waterpark. It was minus 15 degrees outside yet every single person inside was in swim shorts or bikinis. All very surreal.
You’ve also just played at the Gallery at Ministry. What are your thoughts on the possibility of a club that represents such a huge part of the history of the music in this country facing closure?
I can’t believe we’re still talking about this after it’s been thrown out of court twice but I suppose some people will stop at nothing in the pursuit of money. The Ministry Of Sound is a clubbing institution and a huge tourist attraction for young people visiting London. The last thing we need in it’s place is another tower block of apartments. But like I said, it’s all about the money isn’t it. Some big developer trying bully their way to making more of it. It reminds me of the Donald Trump documentary You’ve Been Trumped which managed to capture all that’s gone wrong with capitalism. Blood boiling stuff. I hate it.
We’ve also noticed a gig stateside in Seattle next month. What’s your take on the way America has ‘embraced’ dance music in recent times, and with the likes of Sasha and DJ Sneak putting across extremely strong opinions on ‘EDM’, do you have an opinion on it?
It’s certainly not for me. I find most of it excruciating to listen to. But I’m a firm believer in there being room for everybody. If there’s an audience for something then let them get on with it. It’s just another phase we’re going through in the battle of underground versus overground and it probably won’t be long before the backlash begins. In the same way the ‘Disco Sucks’ thing took hold in the 70s.
Having been a part of the club based electronic music scene since its first explosion how does this current surge of popularity over in the US compare?
It really doesn’t compare at all to the first ‘acid house’ explosion. That was subversive and counter-cultural. I’d say it’s more akin to the popularity of trance in the UK in the late 90s. It’s cheap, lowest common denominator and commercially driven to the masses. A bit like MacDonalds!
Looking further afield, you’re a DJ that still plays across the globe frequently in various continents. What are your favourite places to play across the globe, and do you get much chance to embrace the culture of where you visit?
I don’t get as time as I used to these days. I’ve got a young family now so I always try to get the latest flight out and the first flight back to spend as much time as possible with them. But occasionally I still might spend an extended period somewhere if I’ve got a mini tour on or something. India was the last real place I got a real culture shock from. It’s fast developing as a big destination for electronic music too. But as I said earlier Argentina is still the number 1 clubbing destination in the world for me right now along with Mexico. I always have the best times in both those countries.
And finally, what else lies in the future for you?
Well the Kickstarter album is first on the agenda. That will take up much of my time through April & May. And also, the label launch will be keeping me busy too but other than that, I’m looking forward to doing more stuff in Ibiza again this summer with things lined up at Pacha, Bora Bora and a done or two Mambo sunsets. The return of Glastonbury is flashing brightly on the horizon too. Can’t wait to get back there and do another one of my after hours things. That’s so much fun.
http://www.datatransmission.co.uk/blog/crowd-surfing-dave-seaman/
Dave returns with the first dose of a two part injection of the good stuff this month as he doubles his efforts to bring a little light relief to the lockdown monotony. Cos we’ve always got the music, right? Always! ❤️🙏🏼
Tracklist..
1. Hidden Empire ’Some Kind Of Trip’ [Stil Vor Talent]
2. Dj Linus ‘Vibes In Space’ [Crosstown Rebels]
3. Rampa ‘2000’ [Cocoon]
4. Kiz Pattison ‘Intruder’ [Selador]
5. Cioz ’Cosmic Noise’ [Stil Vor Talent]
6. Robert Babicz ‘Utopia’ (Hunter Game) [Systematic]
7. Andre Lodemann & Nathalie Claude ’Still Searching’ [Siamese]
8. Gardens Of God ‘Gluk’ [Sodai]
9. Inner Child ‘Detached Motion’ (Patrice Baumel)
10. Bicep ‘Rever’ [Ninja Tune]
11. Francesco Farfa & Sandro S ‘Purple Break’ [(Joy Kikitonti)Sudebeat]
12. Booka Shade ‘Caverna Magica’[Blaufield]
13. Sasha ‘Xpander’ [Freedo Mosho]
https://www.mixcloud.com/daveseaman/radio-therapy-broadcast-february-2021/
Tracklist..
1. Hidden Empire ’Some Kind Of Trip’ [Stil Vor Talent]
2. Dj Linus ‘Vibes In Space’ [Crosstown Rebels]
3. Rampa ‘2000’ [Cocoon]
4. Kiz Pattison ‘Intruder’ [Selador]
5. Cioz ’Cosmic Noise’ [Stil Vor Talent]
6. Robert Babicz ‘Utopia’ (Hunter Game) [Systematic]
7. Andre Lodemann & Nathalie Claude ’Still Searching’ [Siamese]
8. Gardens Of God ‘Gluk’ [Sodai]
9. Inner Child ‘Detached Motion’ (Patrice Baumel)
10. Bicep ‘Rever’ [Ninja Tune]
11. Francesco Farfa & Sandro S ‘Purple Break’ [(Joy Kikitonti)Sudbeat]
12. Booka Shade ‘Caverna Magica’[Blaufield]
13. Sasha ‘Xpander’ [Freedo Mosho]
Here’s my recent interview with the This Is Progressive website talking dance music journalism, Kickstarter, EDM and the sullying of the Progressive name…..
Recently we caught up with one of the most worlds most recognised and respected industry veterans, Dave Seaman, who has since from the 1980’s, earned his credentials playing weddings and birthdays, through to playing to crowds in their tens of thousands around the world. Dave has provided the soundtrack to generations of clubbers, world wide with his unique and honest progressive house sound.
With over 90 releases to his name, owner of new label Selador Recordings, a monthly podcast (Radio Therapy) and a global tour schedule that puts the most seasoned traveller to shame, Dave Seaman is as energetic and passionate about the music industry and the people who see him weekly as he has ever been.
With Mixmag celebrating 30 years – You were the first editor of Mixmag, Where do you see the state of dance music journalism right now?
I think it’s like the old wild west out there. Hahaha. Basically anyone with an opinion can post up blogs and reviews masquerading as journalism these days and so finding the quality stuff amidst all the noise is increasingly difficult. When I was a teenager, the only source of information i had fro dance music was James Hamilton’s 2 pages in Record Mirror every week and now it’s just information overload. Crazy. I think places that people trust on line to give them the quality they’re looking for will be come increasingly important. We’re really still just at the beginning of this digital revolution and still finding our feet.
I see you played in Israel at Arcadia beach to over 25 000 people, one if the biggest crowds you have experienced, how was it?
Amazing. Quite a buzz I’ll tell you. There were people for as far as the eye could see. A real spectacle. Just a shame that police felt they couldn’t control it so shut us down early.
You have always nurtured younger talent, whether it be taking them on tour, putting them on your label, etc. Do you feel a responsibility to help out as a mentor?
I don’t necessarily feel responsible but it’s something I enjoy doing. It’s nice to be able to pass on a little wisdom and knowledge and open a few doors if possible. People did it for me and so I think I should do tyne same for others. Do as you would be done to and all that.
Where do you see the dance music world going right now?
I really don’t analyse the scene like that. That’s your job! You’re the journalists. Hahaha. I’ve been doing this too long to get bogged down in all that stuff. I’ll leave all that to the ornithologists while I just carry on life being a bird 😉 Basically, it all goes round in circles and will be here forever and a day.
You recently entered the world of kickstarter funding for your mix cd. How did this come about and what has the experience been like?
I’d been asked to do another Renaissance Masters but it really felt like I was repeating myself and I could tell that for everyone around me there was a general ambivalence towards it so when my agent Sara suggested Doing a crowd funding project it just felt fresh and different. I think the fact that it was a risk made it so exciting and it had never been done before, a crowd funded DJ mix compilation, so there was an instant attraction. I’m still a bit overwhelmed that we managed to pull it off and with so much time to spare. It’s definitely something I’d consider doing again sometime and something that I think a lot of other DJs might consider now.
How do you prepare for a mix album? It must take a lot planning. Where does one start?
First of all you just throw the net out as far and wide as possible to get as much new music as possible. Then you sift through the catch and pick out all the goodies. Then you try to license everything that you might want on the album and finally mix together what you have cleared to use. It’s a long process. A 3 month job a t least. A painstaking but ultimately very rewarding labour of love.
Much has been said about the US and EDM market, how has this affected your more underground sound?
It doesn’t really bother me too much. There’s always been an overground and an overground and they need each other to exist and to keep the world turning. It does annoy me how much that scene is driven by money rather than music though. It’ll have it’s day and then will pass as soon as there’s something else for the corporate vultures to get their teeth into.
The name progressive has been tarnished and mismatched over the years. What is your view?
I never bothered for a long time but now I must admit it irks me a bit. What people call progressive house these days is not progressive, it’s cheesy pop music that used to be Euro Dance in the late 80s/ early 90s. Real progressive house was an underground thing. But it’s the same for most genres. What people call Deep House now and what people call Techno now are not what I understand those genres to be. It’s all a mess. The lines between all the genres have become so blurred that none of them make sense anymore. But I don’t see a solution to be honest. They’re a necessary evil, genres. We have to divide the music up somehow otherwise it would be impossible to know where to start with the 10,000 tracks a week coming out on Beatport!
What advice do you have for up and coming DJs?
Work hard, be humble and stick to your guns.
Lastly, anything exciting you can share with us for 2013?
Well, the Kickstarter CD is my main project but I have a lot of collaborative productions coming out too. I did a track with Guy Mantzur called Feline which is coming out on Mihalis Safras’ Playmobil label, a track with John Fleming which is coming out on Pro B Tech with remixes from Hernan Cattaneo and Martin Garcia & Dubspeeka and I’ve also just finished a track with Funkagenda which has been huge for me in my sets. And there’s plenty more where they all came from too. I’m making a point of getting into the studio a lot more this year. Watch this space.
http://thisisprogressive.com/website/news/dave_seaman_interview.html
Number seven in my occasional series of DJ mixes taken from live sets from around the world. This one is an excerpt from my gig earlier this year in San Francisco. Enjoy!
Tracklist as follows..
The third release on my new record label with Steve Parry, Selador Recordings is now released and ready for your delectation through Beatport.com A huge warm melodic summery number entitled ‘Marionette’ by up and coming Canadian deep house don Rychard. It also features two fantastic remixes. Firstly, Cocoon favourites Danito & Agent! take it on a deep techy underground 10 minute journey that is already finding favour from the likes of Hernan Cattaneo, Gabriel Ananda & Hollen and then to round off the package, Beaumont Stanford, fresh from his Sasha fave ‘Bit Pitch’ track on Funk D Void’s Outpost label, delivers a peak time disco techno hybrid that has already destroyed dance floors for Eric Prydz, Marc Marzenit and Selador’s own Han Haak. Also, I must add a big thank you to Spike Dennis & Layla Holzer who supplied the rather disturbing ‘Puppet in Progress’ artwork. You can find more about their wonderful work at spikeworld.co.uk and laylaholzer.com
Selador Recordings – All killer, no filler!
Listen & buy your copy here…
Listen again to my latest Radio Therapy show which premieres on the third Tuesday of every month on Frisky.fm Enjoy
Tracklist as follows…
Here’s my latest chart for those lovely people at residentadvisor.net
Happy Hunting. Choo, Choo
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/daveseaman/top10?chart=140522
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